June Issue: 30 Brilliant musicians under 30

Starring 30 hot young classical properties, ‘Our man in the Palace’, a great ballet and Australia’s musical philanthropists.

Cover Feature

Our critics pick the most outstanding pianists, instrumentalists, singers and conductors taking classical music into the future – and explain how they’re going to do it.

ALSO IN THE MAGAZINE

Emanuel Ax

The American pianist talks about growing up in transit, the great maestros, and what he’d like to do with bad-mannered audiences.

Malcolm Williamson

Just how did a boy from Sydney get to become ‘Our Man in the Palace’ and just how and why did it all go wrong?

Appalachian Spring

An in-depth investigation of Aaron Copland’s iconic ballet which brought a breath of the American prairies to the choreographic stage.

Meet the Philanthropists

The arts would dwindle and starve without them, so who are Australia’s biggest donors and what makes them dig into their pockets?

Composer of the Month: Arnold Bax

A love of all things Irish may have influenced Arnold Bax but there is a great deal beyond the Emerald Isle to discover in his music.

Musical Journey: Cologne

When the carnival is over, Albert Ehrnrooth discovers that cologne is more than just a fancy perfume

Reviews

Classical CD, DVD, book and live concert reviews, including a definitive guide to Malcolm Williamson’s piano concerti by Piers Lane; Daniel Barenboim and his German orchestra excel with some very English Elgar; a woodwind super group tackle French works plus a slew from the 20th century; and Belvoir’s Government Inspector is inspected while Jordi Savall sounds the shofar.

A special summer holiday bumper edition, the January/February 2018 issue of Limelight Magazine features Barrie Kosky on his daring production of The Nose. Plus, we reveal our 2017 Artists of the Year and chat with the Orava Quartet.

Aaron Copland learnt an important lesson from Nadia Boulanger: keep it simple. The renowned composition pedagogue and mighty force in French contemporary music impressed upon the young American the importance of making orchestral music immediately playable, lest he get on the wrong side of conductor and band. Aware of the consequences, Copland didn’t follow the advice. The result is a fascinating collection of early symphonic sorties, presented on Chandos by the BBC Philharmonic under John Wilson’s baton. The Symphony for Organ and Orchestra opens with a nonchalant Andante, featuring slowly drifting melodic lines without clear harmonic focus. The BBC Symphony strings and winds exude a gentle warmth, matching nicely the sensitive timbral world of Jonathan Scott’s organ. Energy builds in the Scherzo, which features the tune-crafting and rhythmic verve Copland became famous for in his Appalachian Spring. The symphony returns to the warmth of the opening movement in the slow, searching finale, which has a darker, more stern atmosphere, with the organ used to particularly dramatic effect. The stern mood prevails in the composer’s own orchestration of his Piano Variations, which are built on an austere theme announced by low brass, strings and percussion. The miniature variations that follow continue…